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Chapter 30 - Delivery

The Doctor popped over to Torchwood to talk to Malcolm about his plan. Malcolm and Tosh were very keen to assist the Doctor with his experiment. He warned them that it was extremely possible that something besides what he was trying to get out of the Void could come through, so to use extreme caution. Days of calculations and getting the equipment ready had to be done before anything could happen though. So, he left them to it and popped back to the flat with Rose and Genie.

He reappeared in his and Rose's bedroom. "Rose! Genie!" he called.

'In the sitting room! How much stuff did you order?' Rose told him in his head.

He laughed under his breath as he ran into the sitting room. John and Sam were sitting up the treadmill for Rose. Boxes littered the room. Genie held five new small dolls under her arm as she pulled more stuff out of a box.

He smiled at his happiness. "Perfect! Just in time!"

Rose laughed at him. "There are a lot of boy things here. Like, football stuff. Even a duvet cover and curtains with footballs on them? Are you taking this football thing to an unhealthy level?"

The Doctor laughed, "No, that's for Tony. He's going to be staying for a while. I want him to have his own room. Genie. You think you could help me with that?"

Genie smiled. "Sure! There's even a dog bed for Zeus!"

"Well, he will probably never use it, but I figured I'd get him one anyway." the Doctor reasoned.

"And blocks! There are four boxes of Legos, Daddy!" Genie said.

"You can build some great things with those! I can't wait to see what you create with them!" he told her.

The Doctor asked Rose, 'Where is that box I told you to be careful with? Full of stuff for you?'

Rose turned and smiled at him. "Oh, I found that one first. It's already in the bedroom."

Relieved, he nodded his head. "Good! Don't need to have to explain that." He opened a box, and found a stereo. "Brilliant!"

He took off his shoes and tossed them under the coffee table. He took the stereo out of the box and immediately got to work putting it together in the living room. Genie walked over to him holding a book.

"Daddy, who is this for?" She asked.

He looked at her. "That's a maths book, Genie. Daddy is going to teach you to read and write, and how to do maths."

Rose looked at him. "What? Isn't she too little for that?"

He didn't look up from putting together the stereo. "She's very clever. She's ready for all of that. There's a book in there for Tony as well. I have a lot to teach these children."

Genie smiled and skipped back over to the boxes to see what else was in there.

Rose knelt down to talk to the Doctor. "There's school for that. Both of them will go to school in the next year."

He shook his head. "No. I want to talk to you about that. I have had some experience with schools here on Earth. Susan's teachers, well...they couldn't help it. They just didn't know."

Rose was confused, "What are you on about?"

"I don't want her to go to schools here. I want to educate her." he told Rose. "People do it all the time. That's how they did it for a long while here. Lots still do."

"But, well. Is this the way people are educated where you are from?"

He shook his head. "No, I was sent away when I was a bit older than her. But, that was different."

"Why was it different?" Rose asked him.

"It just was. Trust me. I could teach her everything she needs to know. More than she would ever learn in any of the schools here on this planet. They do a good job, but I could just do a better job. What do you think?"

Rose shook her head. "I don't know."

He continued to work on the stereo. He put speakers were he wanted, and ran wires. "Rose, if we do it this way, we won't have to worry about the school run. We can be free to travel whenever we want. Instead of her learning about...say... Australia from a book, we can take her there to pet a kangaroo. But, she's not bringing one home. No."

"Seems like a lot of work. Will you have time for that?" Rose asked him.

"Teaching should be such that what is offered is perceived as a valuable gift and not as a hard duty." the Doctor told Rose as he continued to attach things together.

"Sounds like you are quoting someone again. Who is that?" Rose asked.

He chuckled. "Einstein. Rose, you would be surprised at how much more you can get done when you don't sleep a third of your life. Learning happens all of the time, not during certain hours or on certain days. If we educate her ourselves, we will know she is safe. Added bonus. Plus, she will have an education tailored for her."

He stood up, looked at the stereo and ran his hand though his hair. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and connected it to the stereo. He turned and looked at Rose as 'Secrets' from OneRepublic started to play. He smiled, took her in his arms and began to dance with her.

She asked him, 'You know more about her than you are telling, don't you?'

He smiled, 'Sweetheart, I won't keep it from you. Sara Gene is meant for something amazing. I need to prepare her. I don't trust anyone else with it.'

'Like you prepared the Empress of the...what was it?'

'Empress of the Needle. Yes, that was me. I educated her as well. I knew you would ask me about that. I'd really rather not talk about it.'

She kissed him, 'I understand. Didn't mean to make you uncomfortable.'

He shook his head. 'It's important. I can't see her time line clearly because it's so interwound with my own now. But, it's something amazing. I can see that. And her children, too. It's just, really bright.'

She smiled. 'I think I saw those when we joined. Very long lines of electricity?'

He continued to dance with her. 'Yep! That's them. I'm telling you, my head is a dodgy place.'

'I have to ask. Can you see the rest of the family?' Rose asked him.

'The family! Sounds like we are in the mafia!' he teased.

'Seriously.' she shook him.

'I couldn't tell you if I could. But, no. They are too interwound with you, which is so close to mine. Don't worry about what happens, my dear. Live now, not for later.'

'So, you see mine?' Rose smiled.

He smiled like a loon and kissed her. 'No. It's wrapped all around mine. I imagine it is very long lines, together, for a very, very long time. Lots of adventures await us, my dear!'

Genie ran over and jumped up and down. "Daddy! Can we dance?"

He smiled at her. "New plan! All three of us will dance!" he told her as he picked her up and held her. Then wrapped his free arm around Rose. They all laughed as he spun them around.

'So, what do you think, Rose. Am I crazy? Or should we send her away to a school?' he smiled at Rose.

'I'd be insane to argue with you. I trust you know what you are doing.' she told him.

"The difference between insanity and enlightenment is acceptance. Rose is enlightened! HA!" he laughed at her.

Rose rolled her eyes at him. "Well, I don't think I would take it that far!"

"Genie. Have I ever told you how much I love our Rose? She's simply amazing!" he said as he leaned down to kiss Rose quickly. He smiled as he continued to dance with both of his girls. "We are the luckiest two in the universe to have our Rose, Genie. Aren't we?"

Genie wrapped her arms around Rose's head and kissed her cheek. "Yes!"